Feasibility and effectiveness of en bloc resection of the esophagus for esophageal cancer. Results of a prospective study.

En bloc resection of the esophagus was attempted by right thoracotomy, laparotomy, and left cervicotomy in 82 patients suffering from an esophageal cancer. Tumors were classified by the depth of wall penetration and node involvement: 21 tumors penetrated at the most into but not through the muscle (W1), and 61 invaded the full thickness of the wall (W2). Twenty-five were associated with normal lymph nodes (N0), 26 with metastatic thoracic nodes only (N1), and 31 with metastatic extrathoracic nodes (N2). Digestive continuity was restored by gastric pull-up in all cases except one in which the transverse colon was used. Thirty day and hospital mortality were 0 and 2.4% (2/82) respectively. Posterior mediastinectomy was feasible in 65 patients but in seven of them an unsuspected metastatic spread was detected during the second step of the operation. It was not feasible in 17 patients owing to the involvement of adjacent mediastinal organs. It was feasible in all W1 tumors and in 72% of W2. Feasibility did not significantly depend on the tumor location or length. Of the 24 palliative operations, 17 were carried out for N2 tumors. After potentially curative mediastinectomy (N = 58), three year survival was 38% and after palliative operation (N = 24), 18 months survival was 11% only. After mediastinectomy, survival dropped as the node involvement and the depth of wall penetration increased (W1: 66%, W2: 28%, N0: 58%, N1: 32% at three years and N2: 17% at 2 years). Overall survival in group N2 was not significantly different from that achieved in palliative cases and no patient classified W2 N2 was alive at 18 months.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)